


(Un)familiar Faces

by dani1314



Series: (Un)familiar Faces [1]
Category: Death Note
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon Rewrite, Eventual Smut, F/M, L's dead, alternating povs, more than one ending, not raye penber friendly, please tell me I'm not the only one who ships naomi/mello
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-29
Updated: 2015-08-21
Packaged: 2018-04-06 17:55:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,621
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4231281
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dani1314/pseuds/dani1314
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The year is 2004. With L's passing, possibly by Kira, the investigation turns cold. 14 year-old Mihael Keehl, or Mello as he called himself, refusing to work with his fellow heir, Near, makes a deal with the mafia and relocates to Los Angeles. That's where he would meet her: Naomi Misora, the woman who once worked under L. She finds him wandering the streets alone and offers a helping hand. With the former FBI agent taking him under her wing, Mello has found himself some solace he never received after L's death. But with a disapproving husband grating the teenager's last nerves, could he bring himself to stay? And does Mello have more than just feelings of gratitude for the woman 13 years his senior?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Words Left (Un)said

Being the heir to the world’s most prolific detective when the man couldn’t make up his damn mind was like losing the battle of a never-ending war. A serial killer was still at large and he refused the offer to work with Near, the boy he’d always felt compelled to beat at his own game. And there came an exasperated groan as the teenager vigorously rubbed his temples. He refused to give up that easily. 

He’d no use for anything more than the clothes on his back. It was not as if he had anything valuable to him since his first arrival at Wammy’s. He closed the door behind him, exhaling with a slight sigh before making his way down the stairs, not even daring to glance back at his old confinements. 

He stepped out through the back door, spotting the familiar bushes where he had planned to escape from the gates. Stepping into the backyard, the teen quickly found his way behind the bushes, peeking through to find Matt sitting behind the aforementioned gates. 

“Did you loosen the bars?” asked Mello.

“Mmm-hmm,” answered Matt, pushing back one of the loose bars with his hand.

The two raised one of their hands, giving each other a light smack in accomplishment. Matt then picked himself up from the grass, turning his attention briefly towards the kids before returning back to Mello, who was already pushing back another of the loosened bars. A solemn expression was plastered on his face, acknowledging the fact that this would probably be the last time he hears from his good friend. Regardless, he trusted his decision that he was better off elsewhere.

“Mello…”

Mello’s gaze did not move away from the bars while Matt spoke, but he gave a quick nod, acknowledging the fact that he was listening. 

“If you end up dying in Los Angeles, I’ll personally fly over there and piss on your grave, provided they didn’t already feed your corpse to the dogs.”

An amused snort fell upon Matt at his own sarcastic jab but there was really no time to joke around. With a roll of his eyes, Mello started pushing back the final bar and said, “Just shut up and do your job.” Matt nodded and stepped out of the bushes, cracking his knuckles as he squinted to locate his target. Without a word of hesitation, he broke into a sprint and charged.

In the distance, Mello heard a young boy cry out in pain, followed by protests of “Help! He’s hurting me!” Leave it to Matt to obey such a stupid order but he was not going to risk getting caught. Moments before he made his squeeze through the space, he heard Roger and the other caretakers rushing towards the scene where Matt had started the fight. 

By the time he began to push the bars back into place, a brief silence followed in the front yard. Matt was probably caught and sent back to his room. While he couldn’t bid farewell to his only companion at Wammy’s, he had work to do in order to beat Near at catching Kira. 

●▬▬▬▬๑۩۩๑▬▬▬▬▬●  
“Welcome home.”

Naomi’s voice greeted Raye from the living room of their condominium as he stepped inside. An exhausted groan overcame him, which only left the woman to feel a pang of empathy for him. It’s been almost a year since she retired from the FBI. Granted, she missed spending time with her fellow agents at the office but she knew after she accepted Raye’s marriage proposal that the decision was long overdue.

He removed his coat as he made his way towards his wife, collapsing onto the spot next to her on the couch. Naomi uttered an annoyed groan in response, raising a hand out to push the weight of his leaning body away from hers. Immediately taking notice, Raye grabbed her hand and pulled her towards him. 

“Raye!” squealed Naomi, playfully batting Raye on the shoulder with her free hand but to no avail. The man may appear to be exhausted but he would have more than enough energy to press his rough lips against the side of her neck. Naomi bit back a gasp and she continued struggling to break free from his grip.

Luckily for her, the doorbell rang before they could continue any further. Raye sighed in defeat and Naomi pried her hand away from his grip. Not a moment later, the couple heard the all-too familiar female voice call out to them. Naomi stood up from the couch and made her way towards the front door. She waited a few moments, peeking through the peephole against the door before answering it. 

Suddenly, a pair of arms grabbed her by the shoulders, pulling her towards the embrace of the ecstatic woman, long brown waves bounced as she did a little jump. By the time Naomi reached her hands out to push her away, she staggered backwards, elbow hitting the edge of the door. The woman gasped in response.

“Sorry! I just got back from the office and Raye never tells me how you’re doing.” 

Raye snorted upon mention of his name. In spite of Naomi’s retirement, she was humbled to realize the people she used to work with would keep in touch with her. Leticia Juarez was no exception. She had been working in the forensics department around the same time she was working as an agent. Even after she retired, she remained good friends with the bubbly Puerto Rican woman. 

“Oh, I’ve been well,” answered Naomi, rubbing her elbow as Leticia fumbled an embarrassed grin. “For some reason, my boss keeps telling me my translations need more work.”

“Does he not realize that he’s telling you to translate from Japanese, which is your first language? Isn’t that why he hired you?” scoffed Leticia. 

“It’s not like he could do it himself or anything,” huffed Naomi, thinning her lips.

“What a pendejo.” 

Leticia gaped her jaw at her friend. Turning her head slightly to meet her gaze, Naomi’s expression remained neutral for a brief moment before the two erupted into bursts of laughter. And not long after, they embraced again with a light squeeze. 

“You never cease to amaze me, Naomi,” said Leticia as she pulled away from the embrace. “Of course, I expected no less from my fellow star pupil in capoeira.”

“I could definitely say the same about you,” answered Naomi. “We should meet up for coffee sometime this week when we’re not busy.”

“I’m down. You have my number. Don’t be a stranger.” Leticia’s gaze peered over at Raye, who seemed to be preoccupied with the evening news to drone out their conversation. 

“You too, Raye!”

“I won’t,” Raye called back. 

“I promise I’ll call you tomorrow,” said Naomi as Leticia took her exit.

“You’d better!”

By the time Leticia was out of sight, Naomi stepped back inside, closing the door behind her. She peered over at Raye as his attention remained occupied with Peter Jennings announcing the day’s top new stories. Making her way back towards the couch, she sat next to her husband in the same spot as before. His eyes did not waver from the television until Naomi pressed a gentle hand against his cheek. 

“I’ve been thinking a lot about what you said before. About us starting a family, I mean.” 

“You have?” 

“I have. We’ve been together for quite some time and if there’s one thing I’m confident about, it’s that you’ll definitely be an amazing father.” 

The sincerity in her tone, accompanied by a warm smile, was enough to leave Raye at a loss for words. She leaned in towards him, lips slightly parted and he would echo her motions, meeting her lips halfway. Naomi sucked in a breath as her other hand reached for his other cheek when he suddenly pulled away, leaving her in a slight daze. 

“Not tonight, though. We’ll wait until next week. If you’re still ready by then, I’ll take the day off work so we can try for a child.”

Her stomach fluttered in anticipation at the thought of her first time with the man she loved. The bittersweet thoughts of retirement would soon be diverted with thoughts of family and becoming a mother. Still, she would do her best to be patient until next week.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, hello there! Dani here with my first Death Note fanfiction. As I mentioned in the tags, this fic will have more than one ending. Think of it like one of those "click-and-choose" games so there's no "true" ending. Let's be real, though. Everyone wants the happy ending. I've seen it one too many times. Either way, I'll try my best to satisfy all your fluff/angst needs. Updates may be slow due to the fact that I have summer classes as well as a part-time job. This is un-beta'd but if you'd be interested in being my beta, let me know. Sometimes, I don't always catch my own mistakes until after I post it. Thank you and enjoy!


	2. (Un)authorized Warnings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Mello finally meeting his broker, he is set to depart to Los Angeles. Meanwhile, Naomi has a conversation with her boss on requesting some time off the following week.

_Rapid fingers tapped against the keyboard of the office computer. The taste of the cherry red lollipop swirled against his tongue, moving the candy towards the other side of his cheek. He turned his gaze back to Mello, noting the visible droopiness running across his eyelids. With an annoyed tsk, Matt removed the lollipop from his mouth with a quiet pop, using his other hand to snap his fingers in front of the other teen. Mello snorted, eyes widened in alarm before turning his attention back to Matt._

_“There’s two brokers in the area that can get you to Los Angeles. The second one seems to be working with another client so it looks like you’re stuck with the first one.”_

_He gestured to the screen in front of him. Mello’s eyes narrowed at the first name that appeared._

_“Felicity Fuentes?”_

_“Yeah. It says she has an office a few blocks away but she’s not certified.”_

_If he was going to beat Near, he would have to be willing to take the risk. To wait a moment longer to leave was not an option. He was going to get this broker to take him to Los Angeles._

_“Send her an e-mail. Don’t forget to clear out everything before you turn this off. We don’t want Roger sending hounds after me.”_

_Matt rolled his eyes but would oblige to the older teen’s orders._

_“As if Roger could ever get over his fear of dogs, anyway.”_

                  ●▬▬▬▬๑۩۩๑▬▬▬▬▬●

Mello found the office with just a few minutes to spare. He reached the rusted brown door, balling up a fist before knocking a few times and waiting for a response. 

Moments later, a slender woman answered the door, amber eyes cast downwards at Mello. She gestured for the teen to enter with a wave of her hand, to which he followed inside shortly before closing the door behind him.

“Just so we’re clear, I’m only helping you because we share a common interest: Kira. The only information I have on him is that he’s either Japanese or has something against Japan. Every source I can find is poorly translated from Japanese. You want to catch him and I want to study his brains once he’s in jail. Let’s hope no one kills him before that happens.” 

“How soon do we leave?” Mello interjected, arms folded impatiently.

“Our flight leaves from Heathrow London in 5 hours. We should be in Los Angeles by the next morning,” explained Felicity as she reached for a black backpack at her desk. She turned her gaze back to Mello, tossing the aforementioned item towards him. Mello caught it with both hands, holding it against his chest.

“Inside that backpack is everything you’ll need for the trip. Your passport and boarding pass are in the main pocket. In the front pocket is the only food you’ll most likely be eating until we arrive at our destination.” 

The mere mention of food made Mello’s stomach churn. Unzipping the front zipper of the backpack, he reached inside, eyebrows furrowed at what felt like something wrapped in paper. He pulled out the item in question: a regular sized chocolate bar. Either this was Felicity’s idea of a sick joke or this was all he could get from this bargain. One thing was for sure, though: the trip had better proceed smoothly or he’d have to find another way to get to Los Angeles. 

Twirling the set of car keys she pulled out from her pocket, she said, “Now let’s blow this shit hole before Kira finds out what we’re up to.”

                 ●▬▬▬▬๑۩۩๑▬▬▬▬▬●

Two hours into her work and Naomi found it increasingly difficult to concentrate. Sinking back into her office chair, the anticipating thoughts of motherhood buzzed furiously in her mind. Not to mention the anxieties that would come with her first time. Would she be ready to take on such a life-changing task in order to conceive? 

Her thoughts were averted when she heard her phone ring. Startled, she reached a shaky hand to grab the handle, placing her ear against the receiver. 

“Westwood Translations. How may I help you?”

An all-too familiar voice at the other end made her stomach drop. 

“Mr. Westwood has requested to see you in his office.”

“Of course. I’ll be right here.”

The moment she hung up the phone, Naomi stood up from her seat, taking a deep breath before making her way towards her supervisor’s office. Surely, he would feel no need to pry her as to why she required time off. And if he turned her request down, she would have to break the news to Raye, leaving them to try for another solution.

The receptionist greeted Naomi, mouthing a “good luck” before gesturing her towards the door next to her. This is it, she thought as she stood in front of Mr. Westwood’s office. A shaky hand reached for the doorknob, pushing it back halfway as she peeked her head inside. 

The office itself was dim and yet there at his desk, sat Ariel Westwood, wearing a pair of black aviators over his eyes. Typical choice of accessory, as there was rarely an instance where he could be seen without them. One couldn’t help but wonder if he slept in them. Stepping inside, she closed the door behind her before dipping her head down in a formal bow. 

“You wanted to see me, Mr. Westwood?”

Initially, Ariel Westwood said nothing as he cleared his throat. Rather, he gestured his hand towards the empty seat across from his desk. 

“Have a seat, Ms. Misora.”

Raising her head, she nodded at his request and took her seat. Back straightened with her hands resting against her knees, she waited patiently for her supervisor to speak. She couldn’t tell from underneath his sunglasses if he was actually reading the paper. Of course, she would not rush the man out of common courtesy. Finally, she watched with a careful gaze as he set the paper back down on his desk.

“I understand you’d like to request next week off for personal reasons, which you didn’t specify,” the man chuckled, reaching for the chrome flask next to the desk lamp. Twisting open the cap, he took a few swigs of the strong whiskey inside before pulling away. He hiccupped loudly before using the edge of his thumb to wipe away the sliver of whiskey that dripped from the corner of his lips. 

“Are you and your husband doing well?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Good,” said Ariel, setting down his flask. “Now, do you want to know what I’m going to say next?”

An awkward silence filled the room. This wasn’t the first time her supervisor asked her this. Regardless, her skills were invaluable that he never required an answer to what was meant to be a rhetorical question. Hesitantly, she shook her head.

Not a moment later, Ariel sank back into his chair and cackled out loud, hands clapping together in amusement. The evident wheezing in his voice made the noise all the more grating but she tightened her lips to keep herself composed. By the time his wheezing quieted, he heaved a heavy sigh before turning his attention back to his employee.

“You know,” he began, pushing back the frames of his aviators with the tap of his index finger, “when my wife and I decided on kids, we thought it would bring us closer. My girls are ten and thirteen now. They don’t even appreciate the shit I provide for them: the newest iPod, computers, and whatever fancy technology kids are using these days. Next thing you know, you’re raising a future criminal with no intentions to visit them in prison.”

So he already figured it out? Frankly, she thought it was a little disturbing, not to mention invasive. 

“Don’t take my word for it, though,” continued Ariel, hands raised in reassurance. 

“Some people just aren’t meant to be parents. If you and Raye seem responsible enough to handle at least one brat, then why risk my best employee’s happiness by turning down her request?”

Would she call his answer a relief? Had it not been for his commentary, she would have hoped for a more direct answer. Regardless, she nodded in acknowledgement, fighting back the urge to smile until after she returned to her work place. 

“Thank you, sir.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At this point, I'm getting way too excited over my own works that I couldn't resist working on the second chapter before I start summer classes in the morning. Now, there's a handful of OCs I've been working into this story. I'm working on a cast page, which will be constantly updated so check back often for when I add new characters into the mix. The page is right here at dani-mynameforevermore.tumblr.com/unfamiliar cast (Mello's profile contains two pictures. Hover over the first one to see the second one!) I appreciate the kudos and hits I've received thus far and I hope to keep it interesting.


	3. (Un)dercover

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felicity and Mello arrive in the United States. Leticia and Naomi have a brief confrontation with a suspicious driver with a seemingly malnourished teenager in the passenger's seat.

With black backpack straps secured against his shoulders, Mello followed Felicity onto the floor while fighting back the wave of nausea that bubbled in the back of his throat. The pit of his stomach groaned from the prolonged hunger he sustained during the thirteen-hour flight. Unfortunately, he’d have to wait until they after they passed the immigration department to get another scrap of food, as Felicity instructed before they took off in London. 

She warned him of their notorious heckling and even gave him a script to follow in order to make it so that they’d be able to get though. And yet, the closer they got to the immigration officer’s post, the more nauseous he felt. One mistake and he’d soon be deported, rendering his plans to catch Kira defunct. 

The customs officer sat up against his post, stern eyes glaring down at the two of them as he held out his hand looked over their passports. Once he received the aforementioned items, he glanced over at the information on the first page.

“Gloria and Calvin Dichman,” he recited as he reached for the pen in his front pocket. 

“Might I ask your relationship to one another?”

“We’re cousins,” answered Mello on their behalf. 

“What was your purpose for visiting England?” 

“We were at a funeral for my older brother, Elliot. He died while on vacation in Japan.” 

The teen tightened his lips, swallowing hard at his butchered statement. He was hardly close to L, let alone acknowledge him as nothing more than a mentor, just as every other kid at Wammy’s did. He could only hope he’d prove himself most capable of carrying on his legacy. At least he’d be worth something, especially after capturing Kira. 

“Sorry to hear that,” mumbled the officer. 

“And what brings Calvin to the United States?”

“I’m staying with Gloria’s family for a few weeks. This is my first time in the United States.”

Reaching for the stamp, the officer firmly pressed the approved seal on both of their passports before handing them back. Felicity grabbed them, stuffing them into her brown coat pocket, reaching for Mello’s hand with her free hand as the two made their way onto the main terminal. One of the more difficult parts of the plan was over. Soon, they would proceed with the next course of action: locate the FBI agent that worked under L during The Los Angeles BB Murder Cases. 

Within the loud shuffling of feet and casual conversations, an automated intercom greeted the floor with an artificial pre-recorded welcome. “Welcome to Los Angeles International Airport,” it said, sounding a lot like a middle-aged British woman. As if Mello had enough of dealing with his country, he needs an artificial reminder of what he doesn’t miss about the people. 

“How long until we get to your place?” he asked.

“Not too long. I had someone bring my car over so we don’t have to worry about taking the bus.”  
●▬▬▬▬๑۩۩๑▬▬▬▬▬●  


An exasperated groan escaped Leticia’s lips, hands gripping tight against the steering wheel. Naomi stared absent-mindedly at the cars when she suddenly caught glance at an older woman and what appeared to be a teenager sitting in the passenger’s seat.

He looks pretty frail, she thought, though her assumptions could have been easily dismissed by the blurriness of the glass windows. Her gaze narrowed past the frustrated woman in the driver’s seat. Before the boy could notice her staring, her phone rang. She refocused her attention into her coat pocket and pulled out her phone. Taking a quick glance at the caller id, she smiled at the familiar name and flipped the phone open to answer it.

“Hi, honey. Yes, we got caught in traffic. Yes, we’re on the-“

Naomi’s phone nearly fell from her hands as Leticia’s car screeched to a halt. Her eyes widened in shock at the sight of the car that decided to cut in front of them. In a brief instance, she heard a loud screeching noise, forcing her to set the phone on her lap to clasp her hands over her ears. 

“BITCH, WATCH WHERE YOU’RE GOING!” she shrieked, slamming the honk button against the heel of her wrist. As if they had gotten the message, the culprit lowered their own window and stuck their hand out, flashing the middle finger at Leticia’s gawked expression. Naomi lowered her hands and stared down at her phone, noticing that Raye was still speaking, and voice barely audible in the distance. She reached back for the phone, immediately interjecting Raye’s offers to call 911. 

“No no no, we’re fine. There’s nothing to worry about. Someone narrowly cut in front of us. Typical LA problems,” Naomi forced a chuckle. 

●▬▬▬▬๑۩۩๑▬▬▬▬▬●  
The sounds of honking cars prolonged as they continued to move just a few inches by the minute. It would be just another mile before they could merge onto the 110. Felicity sunk back in her seat, grumbling about how she could have taken the 710 instead. Granted, she made some time when she cut that woman in front of her but she’d still have to wait at least another half hour until the 710 appeared. 

“That lady back there needs to learn to drive.” 

“Her friend in the passenger seat was staring at me.”

“So? People stare all the time. Besides, I doubt you’ll see her again. She’s one in a million in this damn city.”

With head tilted to the side, elbow resting against the armrest, pressing a hand against his chin, Mello said, “Even so, that’s the first time someone even looked at me and not appear disgusted.”

●▬▬▬▬๑۩۩๑▬▬▬▬▬●

Leticia parked inside of the gas station shortly after making her exit off the freeway. Naomi rolled down the window to her right, heaving a deep sigh, spine shivering from the aftershock of the incident from earlier. After Leticia stepped out, she turned her attention towards the dent on the side of her bumper, cursing at the sight of the grey scratches. If only she had gotten a license plate number because she was livid at the thought of paying for damages someone else caused. 

Peeking through the passenger’s window, she asked,

“I’m gonna get a lotto ticket really quick. You want anything?”

“No, I’m good. Thank you.”

As Leticia turned to pay for gas, Naomi flipped open her phone, searching through the address book to find a specific number. Pressing the call button, she raised the phone towards her ear and patiently waited for someone to answer.

“Hey, how are you? I’m good, thank you. Do you mind if I ask you something?”  
●▬▬▬▬๑۩۩๑▬▬▬▬▬●  
The inside of Felicity’s apartment was like an empty office space, save for the single spring mattress laid out on the floor. He wasn’t expecting paradise, per say, but somehow, this place appeared a lot worse than the room he had back at Wammy’s. It was almost humorous, considering he was a runaway, with certain conditions left out of Felicity’s knowledge. And it would stay that way because frankly, he didn’t trust her. For now, he’d just have to pretend for the sake of her resources. 

“Alright,” began Felicity as she closed the door behind her, making her way towards the couch as she gestured for Mello to follow. Sinking back into the couch, her outstretched hand pointed to the mattress. Mello sat on the edge of the mattress, shrugging off the straps of his backpack before pushing the item to the side. His gaze focused back up to Felicity as she pulled out a cigarette, tugging it between her lips. 

“I gave you everything you’ll need at this point. You’re going to start paying back your debt. The petty cash in England isn’t going to cut it. I’ll give you a helping hand once we head to the streets tomorrow. The more we collect, the better.”

“And the case file?”

“I’ll put in the call to the Slashers tonight,” she said after lighting the tip. 

“You just need the one on the Los Angeles BB Murder Cases, right?” 

“Did you hear anything about the agent that apprehended the culprit?”

“Yeah, as if FBI agents are even mentioned by name on the news these days,” Felicity snorted, plucking the cigarette from her lips and tapping the ashes on the side of the couch. 

“You never told me why you’re so interested in that case in the first place.”

“There was an FBI agent that worked under L on that particular case. She’s the closest link I have to catching Kira.”

“Fair enough.” 

Felicity shrugged and tossed her cigarette onto the floor before putting it out with the heel of her black flats. The lingering smell forced a cough from the woman, to which she dismissed. She stood up from the couch and turned towards her bedroom. Turning back towards Mello, she said,

“I’m going to make that call and then I’m packing it in. Don’t stay up too late because tomorrow is when the fun begins.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took me a while, folks! I had to further develop Felicity's character and update the timeline before I could proceed. Also, school and other fanfiction ideas had me a little busy. I have no actual internet in my new apartment until I get a full-time job. Hopefully I can fix that as soon as I can. 
> 
> Now everything up until before the second arc is already thought out. As I mentioned before, there will be more than one ending to this. I may come up with a poll where the readers can decide Mello's future actions which will have some effects on the story. I'm not sure how I'll do it but yeah, I'll let you guys know by the time the fifth chapter rolls around. Thanks again for being patient!


	4. (Un)veiling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felicity teaches Mello the art of "skimming." Naomi is doing some investigating with some help from an inside source.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Got this in just in time for Fanfiction Writers Appreciation Day. As my final week of my temporary job is around the corner, I will try my best to further develop these chapters as much as I can. One thing's for sure though: this may hurt a bit. And yeah, sorry if you guys are already guessing on Mello and Felicity getting busted. Well, the next chapter will clear things up a little bit more. Geez, I feel like I'm pulling a "Saw" reveal here because it kinda reflects on my style a bit. Whoops. In other words: wait until the next chapter to ask questions. I promise it will make sense soon enough. 
> 
> This is the final chapter before Mello meets Naomi. Be prepaaaared.

The drive into Hollywood Boulevard was exhausting, to say the least. The brightness of the early morning sun forced the teenager to squeeze his eyelids shut before Felicity began to drive the corner. 

“Get out!”

With the firm press of her stilettos against his ribs, Mello stumbled out of the car, catching himself on his hands and knees. By the time he turned back, Felicity had already slammed the door and veered the car back into the streets. 

With the earpiece securely lodged onto one of his ears, he listened closely to her voice. 

“Alright, listen carefully. Do not speak unless I tell you to. I need you to go down the next block and locate the first bank you see. It should be a Washington Mutual.”

In spite of the pile of palm trees in the distance, Mello had to raise a hand over his forehead to block out the sun in order to make out the buildings as he made his way towards the bank. Despite being morning, there was a prominent crowd he had to maneuver through, leaving little crevices between people to allow himself to inconspicuously slip under them. 

Right at the very corner of the next block, he spotted the Washington Mutual bank.

“Reach into your pocket and pull out the atm card I gave you. Use that to get inside the private atms.”

As instructed, Mello pulled out the atm card in his pocket, presumably stolen based on the name written on it: Anna Welding. Waving the card over the scanner, the door clicked and he stepped inside the private atm.

“Now, I want you to put the card inside the slot and when it asks for your pin, press the following numbers: 3901.”

A shaky hand reached towards the card slot, pressing the atm card inside. His gaze shifted to that of the keypad, where he punched in the pin number Felicity gave him. Soon the machine began whirring, which caught him by surprise, but he fought the urge to jump back, in fears that there were cameras watching his every move. Moments later, he saw a large pile of cash drop into the dispenser. 

“Thank god it still works. Now, take the money and meet me at the music store across the street. Don’t forget to take the card back.”

It wasn’t so much as the money that caught him by surprise. As he grabbed the pile of money, he noticed the corner of the first bill read the number “100.” How much was that in pounds, he wondered. He contemplated on the calculation as he stuffed the pile in his pocket. By the time the machine dispensed the card back, he grabbed it and stepped out of the atm, pace unknowingly faster than he anticipated. 

Startled by a honk, he glanced up from across the street to see Felicity waving towards him. It would take a minute before the crosswalk turned green and he crossed the street, cutting at a slight angle to meet Felicity’s car. Reaching for the door handle, Felicity reached from the driver’s seat and smacked Mello’s hand away.

“Money first.”

With a roll of his eyes, Mello reached into his pocket and pulled out the pile of dollar bills before handing them to Felicity. From there, he heard the click of the car doors and he stepped inside the passenger’s seat. He paid no mind to Felicity’s grin as she raised the money towards her mouth, sniffing it and an ecstatic sigh followed.

“Don’t waste my time. Do you have the case file or not?”

“Yeah, they delivered it this morning before we left. Check the glove compartment.”

Turning towards the glove compartment, he reached in to pull out a manila folder. The words “confidential” were stamped in red across the file. To the right hand tab, written in black ink, read the title “BB Murders.”

“You’ll need this, too,” Felicity tossed her cell phone onto Mello’s lap. He reached for the phone, flipping it open and stared at the screen to read the time. 10:43 am. In the top right corner read Felicity’s name.

“I’ll let you look through the file while you talk to the Slashers. Don’t forget your manners when talking to Slasher Number One. Consider it your reward for your hard work today.”

Mello pressed the call button on the phone, raising it towards his ear as he anxiously waited for the dial tone. Finally, he heard the voice of a woman answer the phone. 

“It’s about time you called, British Boy. I hope you’ve got that file in your hands because I want you to open it to page ten. There’s a photograph of the woman that arrested the culprit of the Los Angeles BB Murder Cases. Tell me if that’s the woman you’re looking for.” 

Setting the file on top of his lap, he flipped it open, turning to page ten. On the top right corner was a photograph of the woman that arrested B. Below the photo was her name: Naomi Misora. Pressing an index finger over the name, he said,

“Yeah, that’s her. Can you tell me where she lives?”

He could hear Slasher Number One laughing on the other end.

“If we couldn’t, then it would have been pointless calling us. Slasher Number Two, locate Naomi Misora’s current address.”

It would be a few moments, with Slasher Number Two typing away until stumbling upon a page with the desired location. 

“She lives in the Westwood District near UCLA.”

“Westwood, huh?” chuckled Slasher Number One. 

“Looks like your woman’s got good taste. Only people with money can afford to live there.”

“One more thing: she’s been retired from the bureau for at least a year now. For your sake, let’s hope you have a compelling story to convince her to participate in the investigation.”

“I do,” said Mello “but it will be risky.”  
●▬▬▬▬๑۩۩๑▬▬▬▬▬●

 

The feel of Raye’s calloused hand ran up the curve of Naomi’s backside. She hitched back a breath and leaned into his touch, groaning from exhaustion. 

“You’re anxious, aren’t you?”

Naomi responded with a swift nod, hollows of her cheeks tinted red as Raye ran his aforementioned hand through her hair. Pushing a few strands back, he leaned in and pressed rough lips against the skin of her neck. She hitched back a short breath, leaning into his touch, hands splayed on the edge of his shoulders. 

“Is this about the kidnapper you claimed to have seen on the freeway the other day?” 

“It’s…part of it.”

“What else is there?”

With the next week around the corner, when they were expected to take the day off, second thoughts began to form from the corners of her mind. To tell him at this very moment would feel as if she was backing out on a promise. At the same time, to try for a child when a possible promotion was in line served as a risky move on the company’s behalf. If she quit, Ariel would certainly chew her out. Turning her gaze towards Raye, she said, 

“I think we should reconsider-“

The sounds of a phone ringing interjected her statement. Naomi sat up from the couch, leaning towards the coffee table to grab her phone. Staring down at the caller ID, she breathed a sigh of relief before answering.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Naomi. I think I have a lead for you.”

“You do?”

“You described her as a young Latina in her mid-20s or early 30’s, right? There is a woman matching the description who just arrived from Europe to LAX the other night. She goes by more than one alias but her real name is Norma Beckford. She lives in downtown LA.”

“Was she with a younger white male, possibly a teenager? Blond? Frail-looking?”

“…As a matter of fact, she was. Unfortunately, we couldn’t find him but we have the suspect in custody.”

“Can I see her?”

“…It will have to be under your discretion.”

“That’s fine.”


End file.
